Association of Lawyers: State symbols must not be treated as "folklore", sanctions are prescribed for illegal behavior

State symbols must not be treated as "folklore" or their violation or mockery, without sanctioning all those who commit an illegal act, especially if it comes from state authorities or authorities of local self-government units, said the Association of Lawyers of Montenegro.

They add that the Law on State Symbols and National Day establishes their use and protection, and that Article 29 prescribes sanctions for illegal behavior.

They came out on the occasion of public interest in the use of state symbols, and after the President of the Municipality of Pljevlja, Dario Vraneš, sent a request to all directors of municipal public institutions and companies to display Serbian tricolors on buildings.

Vraneš stated in the request that this is in accordance with Article 11 of the Law on the Selection, Use and Public Display of National Symbols.

He also announced that he will end the practice of decorating the city for Independence Day on May 21.

"The Association of Lawyers announces that state symbols are a sign of sovereignty and in accordance with Article 4 of the Constitution of Montenegro, they are a constitutional category, with clearly established legal protection", they state in the announcement.

In the end, as they state, all citizens, and especially holders of state functions, first and foremost those who take an oath to the Constitution, have an emphatic responsibility to ensure the implementation of the Law on State Symbols and prevent their degradation or humiliation.

"Article 10 of the Constitution stipulates that 'everyone is obliged to comply with the Constitution and the law' and any action contrary to this leads to the devastation of the constitutional order, the meaningless of positive legislation and the selective application of rights that leads to institutional anarchy and legal uncertainty", they state.

Therefore, as they pointed out, the public devastation of state symbols or the approval of unconstitutional and illegal behavior in this or any other case is a direct way to collapse the entire legal system, the authority of the state and the basic constitutional principle of a legal state based on the rule of law.